Recently, UN published a report on climate change, indicating that the final countdown for a climatic disaster had begun. Many nations, including our own, were quick to deny the report, terming it as exaggerating and pessimistic. This series of events is going to be repeated in the near future at an even greater frequency.According to scientists and astronomers, our Mother Earth is undergoing a huge transformation. Long before life blossomed on our planet, its environment was nowhere close to what it is today. Life was possible on Earth when its temperature and environment became more conducive to life. Dinosaurs became extinct because they couldn’t adapt to their changing environment. Species died out when ice-ages set in. Thus we can see that environmental conditions are the key to the origin and development of life. Human race owes its life to environment. But we seem to have conveniently forgotten all this. Earth gave us Life, and we are sounding our death-knell by destroying its environment-be it air, water or land.So unless we stop this destruction of our own habitat then we are at loss. All we can then hope to do is to find a new home!A new home!!!There have been a number of attempts to detect life in outer space and especially on Mars, which may have water and also has an atmosphere slightly different from that on earth. Also slightly far away Titan holds more promise to support future human habitation.
MARS
Mars is the most likely to harbor liquid water, and perhaps life. Geological evidence gathered by various missions suggests that Mars previously had large-scale water coverage, while observations also indicate that small geyser-like water flows have occurred in recent years.Liquid water cannot exist on the surface of Mars with its present low atmospheric pressure, except at the lowest elevations for short periods but water ice is in no short supply, with two polar ice caps made largely of ice. In March 2007, NASA announced that the volume of water ice in the south polar ice cap, if melted, would be sufficient to cover the entire planetary surface to a depth of 11 meters. Additionally, an ice permafrost mantle stretches down from the pole to latitudes of about 60°.Much larger quantities of water are thought to be trapped underneath Mars's thick cryosphere, only to be released when the crust is cracked through volcanic action.The atmosphere on Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and contains traces of oxygen and water. The current understanding of planetary habitability—the ability of a world to develop and sustain life—favors planets that have liquid water on their surface. This requires that the orbit of a planet lie within a habitable zone, which for the Sun is currently occupied by Earth. Mars orbits half an astronomical unit beyond this zone and this, along with the planet's thin atmosphere, causes water to freeze on its surface. The past flow of liquid water, however, demonstrates the planet's potential for habitability.
TITANTitan is the largest moon of Saturn the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found.Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. The dense atmosphere prevented understanding of Titan's surface until new information accumulated with the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2004, including the discovery of liquid hydrocarbon lakes in the satellite's Polar Regions. These are the only large, stable bodies of surface liquid known to exist anywhere other than Earth. The surface is geologically young; although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, it is relatively smooth and few impact craters have been discovered.The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen and its climate includes methane and ethane clouds. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features that are similar to those on Earth, such as sand dunes and shorelines, and like Earth, is dominated by seasonal weather patterns. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan is viewed as analogous to the early Earth, although at much lower temperature. The satellite has thus been cited as a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry. Researchers have suggested a possible underground liquid ocean might serve as a biotic environment.
THE EXHIBITION- FORMAT & CONTENTS
The exhibition will be in the following format. It will be on similar lines to a planetarium show complete with different panoramas.After entering the enclosure we come across giant screen which will first showcase a typical launch from Earth together with a journey through space towards Mars. It will end with a landing on Mars.We then move to the Mars module on the left hand side which includes a giant screen twice the size of the first screen. Over here we project the Martian Surface representing all data known to Mankind collected by various missions to the planet. You will get a feel how your new home will look like and its environment as well! Ahead we have few panoramas depicting future way of life on the planet complete with human settlements and activities. This is like going into the future complete with Audio-Video imagination! In the centre of this module we have assembled model of the Martian Surface together with human settlements and other activities.We then again come to the central screen which will now show the journey through space; from Mars to Saturn’s moon Titan. This sojourn will take place across the dangerous Asteroid belt and then across the giant planet Jupiter and will end with a short journey across Saturn and the landing on Titan. You can thus witness a journey which no human has yet undertaken; you can travel to places where no human has gone before!To the right we then have another big screen which will project whatever little is known about the icy moon called Titan. This module also includes panoramas depicting the expected surface and atmosphere on Titan and will also cover Saturn’s other moons and its breathtaking rings. This module also includes a model of Future life on Titan together with its surroundings. How about this as your new home! You will have a breathtaking view from here which will keep your senses wishing for more!!At the exit we have an exhibition and projection focusing on Global Warming on Earth. It will show what is happening to our once beautiful planet and how it will transform into an inhabitable place unless something concrete is done in controlling Global Warming and all forms of pollution.
So at VJTI we are throwing light on Mars and Titan, two of the most enticing locations at relatively close quarters from our home planet. This is under the aegis of an event called 'Red Shift'. Do visit and explore these frontiers of the future of human migration, getting a glimpse of how reaching these places and living there would be like.
MARS
Mars is the most likely to harbor liquid water, and perhaps life. Geological evidence gathered by various missions suggests that Mars previously had large-scale water coverage, while observations also indicate that small geyser-like water flows have occurred in recent years.Liquid water cannot exist on the surface of Mars with its present low atmospheric pressure, except at the lowest elevations for short periods but water ice is in no short supply, with two polar ice caps made largely of ice. In March 2007, NASA announced that the volume of water ice in the south polar ice cap, if melted, would be sufficient to cover the entire planetary surface to a depth of 11 meters. Additionally, an ice permafrost mantle stretches down from the pole to latitudes of about 60°.Much larger quantities of water are thought to be trapped underneath Mars's thick cryosphere, only to be released when the crust is cracked through volcanic action.The atmosphere on Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and contains traces of oxygen and water. The current understanding of planetary habitability—the ability of a world to develop and sustain life—favors planets that have liquid water on their surface. This requires that the orbit of a planet lie within a habitable zone, which for the Sun is currently occupied by Earth. Mars orbits half an astronomical unit beyond this zone and this, along with the planet's thin atmosphere, causes water to freeze on its surface. The past flow of liquid water, however, demonstrates the planet's potential for habitability.
TITANTitan is the largest moon of Saturn the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found.Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. The dense atmosphere prevented understanding of Titan's surface until new information accumulated with the arrival of the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2004, including the discovery of liquid hydrocarbon lakes in the satellite's Polar Regions. These are the only large, stable bodies of surface liquid known to exist anywhere other than Earth. The surface is geologically young; although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, it is relatively smooth and few impact craters have been discovered.The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen and its climate includes methane and ethane clouds. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features that are similar to those on Earth, such as sand dunes and shorelines, and like Earth, is dominated by seasonal weather patterns. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan is viewed as analogous to the early Earth, although at much lower temperature. The satellite has thus been cited as a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry. Researchers have suggested a possible underground liquid ocean might serve as a biotic environment.
THE EXHIBITION- FORMAT & CONTENTS
The exhibition will be in the following format. It will be on similar lines to a planetarium show complete with different panoramas.After entering the enclosure we come across giant screen which will first showcase a typical launch from Earth together with a journey through space towards Mars. It will end with a landing on Mars.We then move to the Mars module on the left hand side which includes a giant screen twice the size of the first screen. Over here we project the Martian Surface representing all data known to Mankind collected by various missions to the planet. You will get a feel how your new home will look like and its environment as well! Ahead we have few panoramas depicting future way of life on the planet complete with human settlements and activities. This is like going into the future complete with Audio-Video imagination! In the centre of this module we have assembled model of the Martian Surface together with human settlements and other activities.We then again come to the central screen which will now show the journey through space; from Mars to Saturn’s moon Titan. This sojourn will take place across the dangerous Asteroid belt and then across the giant planet Jupiter and will end with a short journey across Saturn and the landing on Titan. You can thus witness a journey which no human has yet undertaken; you can travel to places where no human has gone before!To the right we then have another big screen which will project whatever little is known about the icy moon called Titan. This module also includes panoramas depicting the expected surface and atmosphere on Titan and will also cover Saturn’s other moons and its breathtaking rings. This module also includes a model of Future life on Titan together with its surroundings. How about this as your new home! You will have a breathtaking view from here which will keep your senses wishing for more!!At the exit we have an exhibition and projection focusing on Global Warming on Earth. It will show what is happening to our once beautiful planet and how it will transform into an inhabitable place unless something concrete is done in controlling Global Warming and all forms of pollution.
So at VJTI we are throwing light on Mars and Titan, two of the most enticing locations at relatively close quarters from our home planet. This is under the aegis of an event called 'Red Shift'. Do visit and explore these frontiers of the future of human migration, getting a glimpse of how reaching these places and living there would be like.
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